Experiencing B-Values on the Camino de Santiago: A Culturally Mediated Path to Self-Actualization

Abstract

This article examines how the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage functions as a culturally situated medium for activating what Maslow termed Being values (B-values)—such as wholeness, interconnectedness, and harmony. Situating Maslow’s concept of peak experiences within a cultural-psychological framework, the study investigates how transformative experiences emerge in liminal contexts where everyday social roles are temporarily suspended and individuals engage in embodied, collective, and symbolic practices. A sequential exploratory approach was adopted. First, qualitative content analysis of 32 pilgrim travelogues uncovered recurring themes—such as unity, clarity, and self-transcendence—that align with Maslow’s characteristics of peak experiences. Though historically theorized as intrapsychic, the results suggest that B-values are co-constructed through cultural and relational affordances central to pilgrimage. In a complementary survey of 501 pilgrims, over 60% reported experiencing interconnectedness, underscoring the significance of shared walking rituals, sacred landscapes, and narrative reflection in facilitating personal transformation. By reframing B-values as culturally mediated achievements rather than purely individual insights, the study bridges humanistic and cultural psychology. It contributes to a broader understanding of meaning-making and identity transformation in contemporary spirituality, positioning self-actualization as a relational, embodied, and culturally situated process.